September 7 Energy News

Opinion:

¶ “Biggest threat to Australia’s energy supply – fossil fuel ideologues” • Australia’s Energy Market Operator might count the failure of large fossil fuel generators in heatwaves as one of the biggest threats to Australia’s electricity supply in coming years, but what about the threat from fossil fuel ideologues who control the generating assets? [RenewEconomy]

Transmission lines in a heat wave

¶ “Our Hurricane Risk Models Are Dangerously Out-of-Date” • More than half of the deluge associated with Tropical Storm Harvey happened “outside of any mapped flood zone,” even including 500-year events, in areas with only “minimal flood hazard.” The Houston area suffered from something more than random bad luck. [MIT Technology Review]

Science and Technology:

¶ The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has paired up with the University of Toronto to develop technology to convert carbon dioxide and water into hydrogen-rich syngas, a basic building…